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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Public Health Service

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

Characteristics of

Nursing Home Residents—1996

Research 

 Findings

Research 

 Findings #5
http://www.ahcpr.gov/ http://www.ahcpr.gov/

 





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Abstract

This report from the Agency for Health Care Policy

and Research (AHCPR) profiles the health and

demographic characteristics of the approximately 1.56

million persons living in nursing homes in the United

States on January 1, 1996. The data were obtained from

a nationally representative sample of nursing homes and

nursing home residents from the 1996 Nursing Home

Component (NHC) of the Medical Expenditure Panel

Survey (MEPS).

The majority of nursing home residents (65.8

percent) were in private for-profit facilities. Almost 90

percent were white, and half (49.3 percent) were age 85

or over. More than two-thirds (71.6 percent) of residents

were women. Although the data in this report do not

reflect the insurance source actually paying for nursing

home care, most residents were enrolled in Medicare

(93.2 percent) and two-thirds were enrolled in both

Medicare and Medicaid (63.5 percent). Nursing home

residents were highly dependent on assistance with

activities of daily living (ADLs). Nearly all residents

(97.2 percent) received assistance with at least one ADL

and 83.3 percent received assistance with three or more

ADLs. Persons under age 65 received as much

assistance as older residents. In general, cognitive

problems were more prevalent than behavior problems

among residents, and nearly half experienced

communication problems. More than half of residents

also experienced bladder or bowel incontinence, or both.

Suggested citation

Krauss NA,Altman BM. Characteristics of nursing home residents–1996. Rockville (MD):Agency for Health Care Policy and

Research; 1998. MEPS Research Findings No. 5. AHCPR Pub. No.

99-0006.

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Web site—http://www.ahcpr.gov/—makes practical,

science-based health care information available in

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Buttons correspond to major categories of Web

site information, including funding opportunities,

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The Web site features an Electronic Catalog to the

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AHCPR, with information on how to obtain these

resources. Many information products have an

electronic ordering form and are mailed free of

charge from the AHCPR Clearinghouse within 5

working days.
Research 

 Findings

Research 

 Findings

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Public Health Service

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0006

December 1998

Characteristics of

Nursing Home Residents—1996

#5
Background

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is

conducted to provide nationally representative estimates

of health care use, expenditures, sources of payment,

and insurance coverage for the U.S. civilian

noninstitutionalized population. MEPS also includes a

nationally representative survey of nursing homes and

their residents. MEPS is cosponsored by the Agency for

Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) and the

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

MEPS comprises four component surveys: the

Household Component (HC), the Medical Provider

Component (MPC), the Insurance Component (IC), and

the Nursing Home Component (NHC). The HC is the

core survey, and it forms the basis for the MPC sample

and part of the IC sample. The separate NHC sample

supplements the other MEPS components. Together

these surveys yield comprehensive data that provide

national estimates of the level and distribution of health

care use and expenditures, support health services

research, and can be used to assess health care policy

implications.

MEPS is the third in a series of national probability

surveys conducted by AHCPR on the financing and use

of medical care in the United States. The National

Medical Care Expenditure Survey (NMCES) was

conducted in 1977, the National Medical Expenditure

Survey (NMES) in 1987. Beginning in 1996, MEPS

continues this series with design enhancements and

efficiencies that provide a more current data resource to

capture the changing dynamics of the health care

delivery and insurance system.

The design efficiencies incorporated into MEPS are

in accordance with the Department of Health and

Human Services (DHHS) Survey Integration Plan of

June 1995, which focused on consolidating DHHS

surveys, achieving cost efficiencies, reducing respondent

burden, and enhancing analytical capacities. To

accommodate these goals, new MEPS design features

include linkage with the National Health Interview

Survey (NHIS), from which the sample for the MEPS

HC is drawn, and enhanced longitudinal data collection

for core survey components. The MEPS HC augments

NHIS by selecting a sample of NHIS respondents,

collecting additional data on their health care

expenditures, and linking these data with additional

information collected from the respondents’ medical

providers, employers, and insurance providers.

Household Component

The MEPS HC, a nationally representative survey

of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population,

collects medical expenditure data at both the person and

household levels. The HC collects detailed data on

demographic characteristics, health conditions, health

status, use of medical care services, charges and

payments, access to care, satisfaction with care, health

insurance coverage, income, and employment.

The HC uses an overlapping panel design in which

data are collected through a preliminary contact

followed by a series of five rounds of interviews over a 

21⁄

2-year period. Using computer-assisted personal

interviewing (CAPI) technology, data on medical

expenditures and use for 2 calendar years are collected

from each household. This series of data collection

rounds is launched each subsequent year on a new

sample of households to provide overlapping panels of

survey data and, when combined with other ongoing

panels, will provide continuous and current estimates of

health care expenditures.

The sampling frame for the MEPS HC is drawn

from respondents to NHIS, conducted by NCHS. NHIS

provides a nationally representative sample of the U.S.

civilian noninstitutionalized population, with

oversampling of Hispanics and blacks.

Medical Provider Component

The MEPS MPC supplements and validates

information on medical care events reported in the

MEPS HC by contacting medical providers and

pharmacies identified by household respondents. The

MPC sample includes all hospitals, hospital physicians,

home health agencies, and pharmacies reported in the

II

The Medical Expenditure Panel

Survey (MEPS)
HC. Also included in the MPC are all office-based

physicians: 

• Providing care for HC respondents receiving

Medicaid.

• Associated with a 75-percent sample of households

receiving care through an HMO (health maintenance

organization) or managed care plan.

• Associated with a 25-percent sample of the

remaining households.

Data are collected on medical and financial

characteristics of medical and pharmacy events reported

by HC respondents, including:

• Diagnoses coded according to ICD-9 (9th Revision,

International Classification of Diseases) and DSMIV (Fourth Edition, Diagnostic and Statistical

Manual of Mental Disorders).

• Physician procedure codes classified by CPT-4

(Current Procedural Terminology, Version 4).

• Inpatient stay codes classified by DRG (diagnosisrelated group).

• Prescriptions coded by national drug code (NDC),

medication names, strength, and quantity dispensed.

• Charges, payments, and the reasons for any

difference between charges and payments.

The MPC is conducted through telephone

interviews and mailed survey materials.

Insurance Component

The MEPS IC collects data on health insurance

plans obtained through employers, unions, and other

sources of private health insurance. Data obtained in the

IC include the number and types of private insurance

plans offered, benefits associated with these plans,

premiums, contributions by employers and employees,

and employer characteristics.

Establishments participating in the MEPS IC are

selected through four sampling frames:

• A list of employers or other insurance providers

identified by MEPS HC respondents who report

having private health insurance at the Round 1

interview.

• A Bureau of the Census list frame of private-sector

business establishments.

• The Census of Governments from the Bureau of the

Census.

• An Internal Revenue Service list of the selfemployed.

To provide an integrated picture of health insurance,

data collected from the first sampling frame (employers

and other insurance providers) are linked back to data

provided by the MEPS HC respondents. Data from the

other three sampling frames are collected to provide

annual national and State estimates of the supply of

private health insurance available to American workers

and to evaluate policy issues pertaining to health

insurance.

The MEPS IC is an annual panel survey. Data are

collected from the selected organizations through a

prescreening telephone interview, a mailed

questionnaire, and a telephone followup for

nonrespondents.

Nursing Home Component

The 1996 MEPS NHC was a survey of nursing

homes and persons residing in or admitted to nursing

homes at any time during calendar year 1996. The NHC

gathered information on the demographic

characteristics, residence history, health and functional

status, use of services, use of prescription medications,

and health care expenditures of nursing home residents.

Nursing home administrators and designated staff also

provided information on facility size, ownership,

certification status, services provided, revenues and

expenses, and other facility characteristics. Data on the

income, assets, family relationships, and caregiving

services for sampled nursing home residents were

obtained from next-of-kin or other knowledgeable

persons in the community.

The 1996 MEPS NHC sample was selected using a

two-stage stratified probability design. In the first stage,

facilities were selected; in the second stage, facility

residents were sampled, selecting both persons in

residence on January 1, 1996, and those admitted during

the period January 1 through December 31.

The sampling frame for facilities was derived from

the National Health Provider Inventory, which is

updated periodically by NCHS. The MEPS NHC data

were collected in person in three rounds of data

collection over a 11⁄

2-year period using the CAPI system.

Community data were collected by telephone using

computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)

technology. At the end of three rounds of data collection,

III




























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||| the sample consisted of 815 responding facilities, 3,209

residents in the facility on January 1, and 2,690 eligible

residents admitted during 1996.

Survey Management

MEPS data are collected under the authority of the

Public Health Service Act. They are edited and

published in accordance with the confidentiality

provisions of this act and the Privacy Act. NCHS

provides consultation and technical assistance.

As soon as data collection and editing are

completed, the MEPS survey data are released to the

public in staged releases of summary reports and

microdata files. Summary reports are released as printed

documents and electronic files. Microdata files are

released on CD-ROM and/or as electronic files.

Printed documents and CD-ROMs are available

through the AHCPR Publications Clearinghouse. Write

or call:

AHCPR Publications Clearinghouse

Attn: (publication number)

P.O. Box 8547

Silver Spring, MD 20907

800-358-9295

410-381-3150 (callers outside the United States

only)

888-586-6340 (toll-free TDD service; hearing

impaired only)

Be sure to specify the AHCPR number of the

document or CD-ROM you are requesting. Selected

electronic files are available through the Internet on the

AHCPR Web site: 

http://www.ahcpr.gov/

On the AHCPR Web site, under Data and Surveys,

click the MEPS icon.

Additional information on MEPS is available from

the MEPS project manager or the MEPS public use data

manager at the Center for Cost and Financing Studies,

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 2101 East

Jefferson Street, Suite 500, Rockville, MD 20852 

(301-594-1406).

IV
V

Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Demographic Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Insurance Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Level of Dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Other Functional Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Figures showing:

1. Percent of the most frequently occurring health conditions for nursing home residents 

under age 65 and age 65 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. Proportion of nursing home residents with the most frequently occurring health conditions,

by age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Tables showing the following information for nursing home residents:

1. Demographic characteristics by facility ownership and type of nursing home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2. Level of dependence in activities of daily living by age and sex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3. Type of incontinence by age and sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4. Memory and behavior characteristics by age and sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

5. Ten most frequently occurring health conditions by age and sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Technical Appendix

Data Sources and Methods of Estimation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Facility Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Current-Residents Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Definitions of Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Reliability and Standard Error Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Standard Error Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
1

Characteristics of Nursing Home Residents—1996

by Nancy A. Krauss, M.S., and Barbara M.Altman, Ph.D., Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

Introduction

Although people residing in nursing homes

represent a small proportion of both the elderly

population and the general population with disabilities,

they are an important part of the long-term health care

system. Nursing homes primarily exist to serve

members of these populations who have severe medical

and disability problems that require nursing home care.

A lack of financial resources or family caregivers also

contributes to the need for these institutions

(Congressional Budget Office, 1991). 

This report, based on the 1996 Nursing Home

Component (NHC) of the Medical Expenditure Panel

Survey (MEPS) from the Agency

for Health Care Policy and

Research, presents a profile of the

residents of nursing homes in the

United States on January 1, 1996.

Nursing homes which are part of

larger facilities that also provide

independent living and/or personal

care units are included in the

sample. However, this report

describes only nursing home

residents, not persons who are

residents in personal care homes, assisted living

facilities, or other types of facilities that provide longterm care. 

The age distribution, race, marital status, and other

sociodemographic characteristics of nursing home

residents, along with the physical and functional

characteristics associated with their need for nursing

care, are described. The nationally representative

estimates reported here are based only on a sample of

current residents. (Current residents are sampled

residents living in the sampled nursing home on January

1, 1996, the beginning of the data collection reference

period.) Although data for the whole year were

subsequently collected for these residents, along with

data on a second sample of new admissions in 1996, the

estimates in this report represent current residents in

nursing homes as of January 1, 1996. The technical

appendix presents details concerning sample selection,

data collection, questionnaire items, data editing, and

statistical procedures for deriving estimates. Definitions

of terms used in this report are also included.

Demographic Characteristics

In 1996, there were approximately 1.56 million

nursing home residents in the United States (Table 1).

The majority were in private for-profit facilities (65.8

percent). Another quarter (24.5 percent) were in private

nonprofit facilities, and the remaining 9.7 percent

resided in government-owned and operated facilities.

(Government facilities include city, county, State,

Department of Veterans Affairs, and other Federal

facilities.) Most residents (81.0 percent) lived in

facilities that contained only nursing home beds.

However, 12.3 percent resided in facilities that also had

independent living or personal care beds, such as

continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). 

An examination of the demographic characteristics

of nursing home residents revealed the following:

• Women composed more than two-thirds (71.6

percent) of the total nursing home population and

outnumbered men in all facility types. However,

women represented a lower proportion of residents

in government facilities (53.5 percent) than in forprofit (72.4 percent) and nonprofit (76.7 percent)

facilities.

• Approximately half of all current residents (49.3

percent) were age 85 and over. Nonprofit nursing

homes had a larger proportion of persons age 85 and

over (58.9 percent) than either for-profit (48.0

percent) or government facilities (34.2 percent).

Nursing homes with independent living or personal

care beds had larger proportions of residents age 85

Two-thirds of

nursing home

residents

were woman

and about

half were 85

years and

over.
2

and over (58.7 percent) than did hospital-based

nursing homes (40.9 percent) or nursing homes with

only nursing home beds (48.6 percent).

• Less than a tenth (8.8 percent) of current nursing

home residents were under age 65. A larger

proportion of residents in government facilities (14.8

percent) than in for-profit (9.1 percent) or nonprofit

(5.7 percent) facilities were under age 65. Hospitalbased facilities had a larger proportion of residents

under age 65 (14.4 percent) than did facilities with

independent living or personal care beds (5.5

percent) or facilities with only nursing home beds

(8.9 percent).

• The majority (88.7 percent) of nursing home

residents were white, 8.9 percent were black, and the

remainder were of other races. Facilities with

independent living or personal care beds had a

smaller proportion of black residents (4.1 percent)

than either hospital-based facilities or nursing homes

with only nursing home beds (10.4 percent and 9.4

percent, respectively). 

• Only 16.6 percent of residents were married. The

remaining residents were widowed (59.8 percent),

divorced or separated (9.2 percent), or never married

(14.4 percent). 

• The smallest percentage of the nursing home

population was found in the West (15.3 percent). In

both the South and Midwest, the nursing home

population was approximately twice the size of that

in the West (490,900 and 485,100, respectively,

compared with 238,800).

• The largest proportion of residents in for-profit

facilities was in the South. Residents in facilities

with independent living or personal care beds were

most likely to be in the Midwest and least likely to

be in the West. 

.•Overall, two-thirds of the nursing home population

were in nursing homes in metropolitan areas (69.1

percent). However, the population in hospital-based

facilities was more evenly distributed, with threefifths (57.8 percent) in metropolitan areas and twofifths (42.2 percent) in nonmetropolitan areas.

Insurance Enrollment

The insurance data found in Table 1 indicate the

insurance programs in which residents were enrolled but

do not reflect the insurance source paying for nursing

home care. (Additional nursing home data, including

data on source of payment, are made available in the

MEPS section of the AHCPR Web site–

http://www.ahcpr.gov–on an ongoing basis.) Most

nursing home residents (93.2 percent) were enrolled in

Medicare, and approximately two-thirds (67.9 percent)

were enrolled in Medicaid. More than half of residents

in all types of facilities were enrolled in both Medicare

and Medicaid. Only 2.4 percent were enrolled in neither

of these public insurance programs. Persons in hospitalbased facilities were less likely than residents in other

types of facilities to be enrolled in a public insurance

program. 

Level of Dependence

More than four-fifths (83.3 percent) of nursing

home residents received help with three or more

activities of daily living (ADLs), including bathing,

dressing, toileting, transferring from a bed or chair,

feeding, and mobility (Table 1).

However, a small proportion (2.8

percent) did not receive assistance

with any of these activities.

Residents of hospital-based

facilities were less likely to receive

assistance with ADLs than

residents in facilities with nursing

home beds only. When nursing

home residents did receive

assistance, bathing and dressing

were the most common tasks with

which they received help (96.5 percent and 88.2 percent,

respectively, as shown in Table 2). 

Data presented in Table 2 describe the various levels

of assistance received by men and women of various

ages. Findings include the following:

• Residents under age 75 were more likely than older

residents to have no ADL limitations and were less

likely to have three or more ADL limitations. Only

1.9 percent of residents ages 75-84 and 1.7 percent

of residents age 85 and over were without ADL

limitations. 

• Women were more likely than men to have problems

with mobility around the facility. Women also were

more likely than men to be totally dependent when

transferring (29.6 percent compared with 25.4

percent) and dressing (37.1 percent compared with

33.1 percent).

Nearly all

nursing home

residents

received help

with at least

one activity of

daily living.
3

• Women nursing home residents were more likely

than men to receive help with three or more ADLs

(84.7 percent and 79.6 percent, respectively).

• Two-thirds of residents had problems with mobility

such that they received assistance getting around the

facility (36.5 percent) or were totally dependent on

others for movement within the facility (30.0

percent).

• Residents under age 65 were as likely as residents

age 75 and over to be totally dependent in bathing,

dressing, and mobility and more likely to be totally

dependent in eating and transferring.

Other Functional Characteristics

A number of factors may contribute to the decision

to place a patient in a nursing home. These are

described in some detail in the following paragraphs.

Toileting and Incontinence 

Research has shown that once incontinence occurs

in an elderly person who already displays other

limitations, it is often difficult to maintain that person in

the home setting (Coward, Horne, and Peek, 1995).

Table 2 indicates that 79.7 percent of nursing home

residents required assistance with toileting needs.

Assistance includes, but is not limited to, help with

transferring on and off the toilet, reminders to use the

bathroom, or help with bathroom hygiene. The residents

who were most dependent were those who could not

control their bowel or bladder functions at all. As shown

in Table 3, more than half of nursing home residents

(54.0 percent) were incontinent. This includes those

who were bowel incontinent only (5.1 percent), bladder

incontinent only (11.3 percent), and both bowel and

bladder incontinent (37.6 percent). 

Memory and Orientation Problems

Memory loss is another important reason that

individuals are placed in nursing homes. Forgetfulness

and disorientation can be dangerous problems that

require 24-hour supervision to provide for the

individual’s safety and well-being. Nearly three-quarters

(70.8 percent) of nursing home residents had some

form of loss in either short-term memory, long-term

memory, or both (Table 4). About the same proportion

had problems with orientation, such as knowing where

they were, what season of the year it was, or the identity

of staff members. Specific demographic characteristics

associated with these problems include the following:

• Persons over age 75 were significantly more likely

than younger nursing home residents to exhibit

problems with memory loss: 47.0 percent of

residents under age 65 and 39.9 percent ages 65-74

had no problems with memory loss, compared with

only 29.1 percent of residents ages 75-84 and 23.6

percent of those age 85 and over.

• Nursing home residents under age 65 were less

likely than persons age 75 and over to have both

short- and long-term memory loss (41.6 percent,

compared with 53.4 percent for persons 75-84 and

56.9 percent for persons 85 and over). However, they

were more likely than persons age 75 and over to

have problems with orientation in three or more

areas (62.8 percent, compared with 50.9 percent for

persons 75-84 and 44.9 percent for persons 85 and

over).

• Men were less likely than women to have any

memory loss (33.5 percent compared with 27.5

percent), but they were more likely than women to

have a problem with orientation in three or more

areas (54.3 percent compared with 48.2 percent).

In addition to problems with memory loss and

orientation to their surroundings, many nursing home

residents (80.6 percent) exhibited problems making

daily decisions. While there were no significant gender

differences in daily decisionmaking, persons ages 65-74

were less likely to be severely impaired than persons age

75 and over.

Behavior Problems

Behavior problems existed among nursing home

residents, but they were not as common as the cognitive

problems discussed above (Table 4). Almost a third

(30.2 percent) of nursing home residents exhibited at

least one form of inappropriate or dangerous behavior–

verbally or physically abusive behavior, socially

inappropriate behavior, wandering, or resistance to care.

Overall, there were no significant differences among

age groups in behavior problems, but male residents

were more likely than female residents to have a
4

behavior problem (34.9 percent compared with 28.4

percent). 

The most frequently occurring behavior problem

was socially inappropriate behavior, such as making

disruptive sounds, inappropriate sexual behavior or

disrobing in public, smearing or throwing food or feces,

and hoarding. Some form of socially inappropriate

behavior was exhibited by 14.5 percent of the nursing

home population. In comparison, 12.5 percent of

residents exhibited resistance to care, 11.8 percent were

verbally abusive, and 9.1 percent were physically

abusive.

As shown in Table 4, there were negligible

differences by age and gender in the overall occurrence

of behavior problems. However, specific problems were

associated more with one age or gender than another,

including the following: 

• Men were somewhat more likely than women to

exhibit both verbally abusive behavior (14.3 percent

compared with10.8 percent) and physically abusive

behavior (11.5 percent compared with 8.2 percent).

Men also were more likely than women to resist care

(14.6 percent compared with 11.7 percent).

• A fifth (20.8 percent) of residents under age 65

exhibited socially inappropriate behavior, compared

with approximately 14 percent of older residents

(13.9 percent for ages 65-74, 13.6 percent for ages

75-84, and 14.0 percent for age 85 and over).

Health Conditions

Health conditions are active diagnoses that have a

relationship to current ADL status, cognitive status,

mood and behavior status, medical treatments, nurse

monitoring, or risk of death. The most frequently

occurring conditions among nursing home residents

were dementias, various forms of heart disease,

hypertension, arthritis, and cerebrovascular accidents.

The data shown in Table 5 are based on the health

conditions recorded in the Minimum Data Set (MDS), a

mandated record system required for all federally

certified nursing homes regardless of the resident’s

payer.1 Other frequently occurring conditions among

this population were depression, diabetes, anemia,

allergies, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 

Although these conditions were the 10 most

prevalent conditions recorded in the MDS among all

residents of nursing homes on January 1, 1996, the

prevalence of these conditions varied by age and gender.

Figure 1 shows that persons under age 65 were

significantly less likely to have

dementia (17.7 percent), heart

disease (16.6 percent),

hypertension (25.3 percent), and

arthritis (4.5 percent) than were

persons 65 and over. 

Younger nursing home

residents also were more

heterogeneous than those 65 and

over with regard to health

conditions. The overwhelming

majority (90.2 percent) of

residents age 65 and over had at least one of the five

most prevalent conditions for that age group, while only

64.8 percent of persons under age 65 had one or more of

the five most prevalent conditions observed in that age

group (Figure 2). 

Gender differences in the prevalence of disease

among nursing home residents were also evident (Table

5). Women were more likely than men to have dementia

(48.9 percent compared with 44.6 percent), hypertension

(38.4 percent compared with 32.0 percent), and arthritis

(26.9 percent compared with 17.5 percent). Women and

men were equally likely to have some form of heart

disease, but women were less likely than men to have

had a cerebrovascular accident (19.2 percent compared

with 26.3 percent) or to have chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease (10.6 percent compared with 17.9

percent). 

Other health conditions correlated with age include

the following:

• Close to half of all nursing home residents (47.7

percent) had some form of dementia; more than half

of those age 85 and over had dementia (53.6

percent).

• Problems with heart disease increased as the age of

the nursing home population increased, steadily

rising from 16.6 percent of residents under age 65 to

55.6 percent of residents age 85 and over. There

were no significant differences between male and

female residents.

1These preliminary estimates are based on the initial Round 1 data

from only the MDS collected during the first 3 to 4 months of the survey year. They are subject to adjustment when all condition data for

the full year are collected, coded, and edited.

Dementia

occurred in

nearly half of

all nursing

home

residents.
5

0 10 30 40 50 60 20

17.7

50.6

48.3

16.6

25.3

37.7

4.5

26.2

18.9

21.5

25.6

6.7

18.8

17.9

Dementia

Heart disease

Hypertension

Arthritis

Stroke

Seizures

Diabetes

Under 65 years 65 years and over

Note: The most frequently occurring conditions for nursing home residents under age 65 are seizures, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and

dementia. The most frequently occurring conditions for residents age 65 and over are dementia, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, and

stroke.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).

Note: The most frequently occurring conditions for nursing home residents under age 65 are seizures, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and

dementia. The most frequently occurring conditions for residents age 65 and over are dementia, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, and

stroke.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).

Figure 1. Percent of the most frequently occurring health conditions for nursing

home residents under age 65 and age 65 and over: United States, January 1, 1996

Figure 2. Proportion of nursing home residents with the most frequently occurring

health conditons, by age: United States, January 1, 1996

33.2

31.6 35.2

61.0 29.3

9.8

None

1

More than 1 

Under 65 years 65 years and over

 Most frequently

 occurring conditions:
6

Sensory and Communication

Problems

More than a tenth (12.6 percent) of the nursing

home population had highly impaired hearing and more

than a tenth (13.4 percent) had highly impaired sight

(Table 5). Persons age 85 and over were much more

likely than younger nursing home residents to have high

levels of hearing impairment. The prevalence of

impaired sight varied less by age. There were no

significant differences between men and women in the

proportion with high levels of hearing or sight

impairment.

Communication—understanding and being

understood—was a more common problem for nursing

home residents. More than half (60.1 percent) had some

communication problem, and 44.3 percent had

difficulty with both being understood and understanding

others. Generally, the effects of age or gender on

communication problems were modest, although nursing

home residents under age 65 were less likely than those

age 85 and over to have problems both understanding

and being understood or problems only in

understanding.

Conclusions

In 1996, nursing home residents were highly

dependent on assistance in performing ADLs. Most

exhibited memory loss, or orientation or decisionmaking

problems that could make independent living dangerous.

Behavior problems were present in a smaller proportion

of residents than cognitive problems. However,

communication problems occurred in more than half of

the population and could be an impediment to proper

care. 

The types of medical conditions experienced by

residents varied by gender and age. Overall, nursing

home residents under age 65 had fewer of the most

frequently occurring conditions than older residents, but

the younger residents were either as dependent or more

dependent on assistance with ADLs. They were less

likely to have both short- and long-term memory

problems than residents over age 65. Residents under

age 65 also were more likely than residents age 75 and

over to have severe problems with decisionmaking and

orientation. Current nursing home residents, regardless

of age or gender, have serious problems with ADLs,

continence, and behavior.

References

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.

Round 1, facility-level public use file codebook. In:

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) NHC-001:

Round 1 Sampled Facility and Person Characteristics,

March 1997 [CD-ROM]. Rockville (MD), 1997.

AHCPR Pub. No. 97-DP21.

American Hospital Association. American Hospital

Association guide to the health care field, 1996-97

edition. Chicago (IL); 1996.

Bethel J, Broene P, Sommers JP. Sample design of

the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health

Care Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Methodology

Report No. 4. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0042.

Congressional Budget Office (US). Policy choices

for long-term care. Washington; 1991.

Coward RT, Horne C, Peek CW. Predicting nursing

home admissions among incontinent older adults: a

comparison of residential differences across six years.

The Gerontologist 1995;35(6):732-43.

Potter DEB. Design and methods of the 1996

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing Home

Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Health Care

Policy and Research; 1998. MEPS Methodology Report

No. 3. AHCPR Pub. No. 98-0041.

Shah BV, Barnwell BG, Bieler GS. SUDAAN user’s

manual: software for the statistical analysis of correlated

data. Research Triangle Park (NC): Research Triangle

Institute; 1995. 

U.S. Bureau of the Census. Statistical abstract of the

United States: 1996 (116th edition). Washington; 1996.
7

Table 1. Number and percent distribution of nursing home residents by

selected demographic characteristics, facility ownership, and type of nursing

home: United States, January 1, 1996

All nursing home residents Facility ownership Type of nursing home

With

independent With only

living or nursing

Resident For Govern- Hospital- personal home

characteristic Number Percent profit Nonprofit ment based care unita bedsb

Number 1,563,900 — 1,028,700 383,500 151,700 104,900 192,600 1,266,300

Percent — 100.0 65.8 24.5 9.7 6.7 12.3 81.00

Percent distribution

Sex

Male 443,500 28.4 27.6 23.3 46.5 37.8 28.8 27.5 

Female 1,120,300 71.6 72.4 76.7 53.5 62.2 71.2 72.5

Age in years

Under 65 138,400 8.8 9.1 5.7 14.8 14.4 5.5 8.9

65-74 186,000 11.9 12.7 7.5 17.7 12.4 10.4 12.1

75-84 468,300 29.9 30.3 27.8 33.3 32.3 25.5 30.4

85 and over 771,200 49.3 48.0 58.9 34.2 40.9 58.7 48.6

Race

White 1,387,000 88.7 87.8 91.4 88.0 86.7 94.6 88.0

Black 138,400 8.9 9.5 7.2 8.8 10.4 *4.1 9.4

Other 38,500 2.5 2.8 *1.4 *3.1 *2.9 *1.2 2.6

Marital statusc 

Married 258,300 16.6 16.6 14.6 21.8 19.5 19.2 16.0

Widowed 928,200 59.8 60.0 63.9 47.7 50.8 62.6 60.1

Divorced or separated 143,500 9.2 9.9 6.4 12.0 9.1 7.5 9.5

Never married 222,900 14.4 13.5 15.1 18.5 20.7 10.7 14.4

Census region

Northeast 349,000 22.3 18.2 30.5 29.8 23.6 17.8 22.9

Midwest 485,100 31.0 27.6 38.6 35.0 27.2 40.3 29.9

South 490,900 31.4 36.6 20.2 24.1 23.5 33.7 31.7

West 238,800 15.3 17.6 10.7 *11.1 25.7 *8.2 15.5

Metropolitan 

statistical area 

(MSA)

MSA 1,080,200 69.1 69.3 72.4 59.5 57.8 65.1 70.6

Not MSA 483,700 30.9 30.7 27.6 40.5 42.2 34.9 29.4

Insurance 

enrollmentc

Medicare onlyd 455,600 29.7 27.2 37.5 26.4 34.4 44.9 27.0

Medicaid onlye 68,200 4.4 5.1 2.8 4.5 6.6 *2.1 4.6

Medicare and 

Medicaidf 974,500 63.5 65.3 58.6 63.3 50.8 50.4 66.5

Neither Medicare 

nor Medicaidg 37,300 2.4 *2.4 *1.2 5.8 *8.2 *2.6 1.9

Continued
8

Table 1. Number and percent distribution of nursing home residents by

selected demographic characteristics, facility ownership, and type of nursing

home: United States, January 1, 1996 (continued)

All nursing home residents Facility ownership Type of nursing home

With

independent With only

living or nursing

Resident For Govern- Hospital- personal home

characteristic Number Percent profit Nonprofit ment based care unita bedsb

Number of ADLs 

in which assistance 

receivedh

0 43,500 2.8 2.7 1.9 5.6 6.3 *3.3 2.4

1-2 218,100 13.9 14.2 13.2 14.3 11.1 13.2 14.3

3 or more 1,302,200 83.3 83.1 84.9 80.1 82.6 83.5 83.3

a Includes continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and retirement centers that include independent living and/or personal care

units, as well as nursing homes that contain or are affiliated with personal care units.

b Includes a small number of nursing homes (less than 1 percent of this category) with an an intermediate care facility for the mentally

retarded.

c Excludes less than 2 percent missing data.

d Includes less than 1.5 percent of residents with other public coverage, such as veterans benefits; excludes persons with Medicaid.

e Includes less than 1 percent of residents with other public coverage, such as veterans benefits, or some form of private coverage; excludes

persons with Medicare.

f Includes less than 2 percent of residents with other public coverage, such as veterans benefits.

g Includes less than 1.5 percent of residents with private coverage only and less than1 percent with public coverage (such as veterans

benefits) with or without private coverage.

h ADLs (activities of daily living) include bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, mobility, and toileting. 

* Relative standard error is greater than .3 and should not be assumed to be reliable.

Note: Categories may not add to totals because of rounding and, in the case of marital status and insurance enrollment, nonresponse.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
9

Table 2. Number and percent distribution of nursing home residents by level

of dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs), age, and sex: United States,

January 1, 1996

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex

Level and type Under 85 and

of dependence Number Percent 65 65-74 75-84 over Men Women

Number 1,563,900 — 138,400 186,000 468,300 771,200 443,500 1,120,300

Percent — 100.0 8.8 11.9 29.9 49.3 28.4 71.6

Number of ADLs 

in which assistance Percent distribution

receiveda

0 43,500 2.8 7.7 6.1 1.9 1.7 5.6 1.7

1-2 218,100 13.9 14.8 17.5 12.9 13.6 14.8 13.6

3 or more 1,302,200 83.3 77.5 76.4 85.2 84.8 79.6 84.7

Type of ADL

Dressing:

No assistance received 184,400 11.8 18.8 17.1 10.0 10.4 14.6 10.7

Assistance received 817,400 52.3 40.9 52.1 54.2 53.2 52.3 52.3

Totally dependent 562,100 35.9 40.3 30.8 35.9 36.4 33.1 37.1

Bathing:

No assistance received 55,400 3.5 8.5 7.9 2.7 2.2 6.5 2.4

Assistance received 773,700 49.5 41.9 49.9 49.6 50.7 48.2 50.0

Totally dependent 734,800 47.0 49.6 42.2 47.7 47.2 45.3 47.7

Eating:

No assistance received 630,800 40.3 39.9 44.1 39.9 39.8 42.6 39.4

Assistance received 644,100 41.2 32.3 38.6 41.9 43.0 39.2 42.0

Totally dependent 289,000 18.5 27.8 17.4 18.3 17.2 18.2 18.6

Transferring:

No assistance received 413,500 26.4 29.3 35.3 25.5 24.4 32.6 24.0

Assistance received 706,500 45.2 31.9 41.4 46.6 47.6 42.0 46.4

Totally dependent 443,800 28.4 38.8 23.3 27.9 28.0 25.4 29.6

Mobility:

No assistance received 524,800 33.6 43.0 42.9 33.1 29.9 39.9 31.1

Assistance received 570,000 36.5 22.1 33.3 36.1 40.0 33.3 37.7

Totally dependent 469,100 30.0 34.9 23.9 30.8 30.1 26.9 31.2

Toileting:

No assistance received 317,300 20.3 24.5 27.3 18.1 19.2 24.5 18.7 

Assistance received 647,100 41.4 32.2 37.4 43.6 42.7 39.4 42.2

Totally dependent 599,500 38.3 43.3 35.3 38.4 38.1 36.2 39.2 

a Assistance includes supervision, limited assistance, and extensive assistance.

Note: ADLs include bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, mobility, and toileting. Categories may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
10

Table 3. Number and percent distribution of nursing home residents by type

of incontinence, age, and sex: United States, January 1, 1996

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex

Type of 

incontinence Number Percent Under 65 65-74 75-84 85 and over Men Women

Number 1,563,900 — 138,400 186,000 468,300 771,200 443,500 1,120,300

Percent — 100.0 8.8 11.9 29.9 49.3 28.4 71.6 

Type of 

incontinence Percent distribution

None 720,900 46.1 47.2 51.0 45.3 45.2 46.3 46.0

Bladder only 176,000 11.3 6.1 10.3 11.2 12.4 10.0 11.7

Bowel only 79,200 5.1 6.7 6.4 4.9 4.5 6.9 4.4

Bowel and 

bladder 587,700 37.6 40.0 32.3 38.5 37.9 36.8 37.9

Note: Categories may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
11

Table 4. Number and percent distribution of nursing home residents by

selected memory and behavior characteristics, age, and sex: United States,

January 1, 1996

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex

Memory or behavior 85 and

characteristic Number Percent Under 65 65-74 75-84 over Men Women

Number 1,563,900 — 138,400 186,000 468,300 771,200 443,500 1,120,300

Percent – 100.0 8.8 11.9 29.9 49.3 28.4 71.6

Percent distribution

Memory problemsa

No problem 451,400 29.2 47.0 39.9 29.1 23.6 33.5 27.5

Memory loss:

Short-term 237,200 15.4 8.0 13.4 14.6 17.6 13.7 16.0

Long-term 39,500 2.6 *3.5 3.6 2.9 1.9 3.6 2.1

Long-and short-term 817,500 52.9 41.6 43.2 53.4 56.9 49.2 54.4

Orientation 

difficulties a,b

No problem 416,000 27.1 19.3 20.6 28.3 29.3 23.8 28.4

Problem in:

1 area 194,800 12.7 7.7 9.9 12.5 14.4 12.0 12.9

2 areas 157,400 10.3 10.3 10.3 8.4 11.5 9.8 10.4

3 or more areas 766,300 49.9 62.8 59.2 50.9 44.9 54.3 48.2

Ability to make 

daily decisions a

Not impaired 299,600 19.4 29.7 26.0 19.0 16.2 21.0 18.7

Impaired 865,800 56.0 45.5 55.4 54.6 58.8 56.3 55.9

Severely impaired 381,000 24.6 24.8 18.6 26.4 25.4 22.7 25.4

Behavior problemsa

No problem 1,075,600 69.8 69.6 72.2 68.9 69.8 65.1 71.6

Any problem 465,900 30.2 30.4 27.8 31.1 30.2 34.9 28.4

Type of behavior Percentc

problema

Verbally abusive 182,200 11.8 13.4 10.4 11.4 12.0 14.3 10.8

Physically abusive 141,400 9.1 11.1 7.2 8.2 9.9 11.5 8.2

Socially inappropriate 223,800 14.5 20.8 13.9 13.6 14.0 15.6 14.0

Resistant to care 192,300 12.5 10.6 10.5 12.3 13.5 14.6 11.7

Wandering behavior 144,900 9.4 8.4 8.5 11.5 8.4 10.1 9.0 

a Excludes less than 2 percent missing data.

b Areas of orientation include time, place, and person.

c Persons may have more than one type of behavior problem. Problems are calculated individually and do not add to 100 percent.

* Relative standard error is equal to or greater than .3 and should not be assumed to be reliable.

Note: Categories may not add to totals due to rounding and nonresponse.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
12

Table 5. Number and percent of nursing home residents by the 10 most

frequently occurring health conditions among nursing home residents, sex,

age: United States, January 1, 1996

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex

Health conditions 85 and

and characteristics Number Percent Under 65 65-74 75-84 over Men Women

Number 1,563,900 — 138,400 186,000 468,300 771,200 443,500 1,120,300

Percent – 100.0 8.8 11.9 29.9 49.3 28.4 71.6

Most frequently

occurring Percent with condition

conditionsa

Dementiab 746,100 47.7 17.7 39.1 50.2 53.6 44.6 48.9

Heart diseasec 711,700 45.5 16.6 33.8 42.2 55.6 44.0 46.1

Hypertension 572,400 36.6 25.3 41.1 37.6 37.0 32.0 38.4

Arthritis 379,300 24.3 4.5 16.9 22.5 30.6 17.5 26.9

Cerebrovascular

accident 332,300 21.2 18.9 28.6 24.3 18.0 26.3 19.2

Depression 315,600 20.2 17.2 23.8 23.1 18.1 17.0 21.4

Diabetes mellitus 281,500 18.0 18.8 25.9 21.2 14.0 18.8 17.7

Anemia 271,300 17.4 14.5 12.5 16.0 19.9 15.2 18.2

Allergies 267,200 17.1 15.0 17.4 19.3 16.1 12.6 18.9

Chronic obstructive 

pulmonary disease 197,900 12.7 6.9 21.2 15.4 10.0 17.9 10.6

Percent distribution 

Hearingd

Adequate 994,000 64.4 89.0 82.6 71.2 51.6 65.1 64.1

Impaired 354,600 23.0 6.7 12.3 21.4 29.4 21.3 23.6

Highly impairede 194,300 12.6 4.3 5.1 7.4 19.0 13.5 12.2

Sightd

Adequate 931,900 60.8 71.1 68.4 65.1 54.4 62.4 60.1

Impaired 396,700 25.9 16.4 22.7 22.9 30.1 24.4 26.4

Highly impairede 205,300 13.4 12.5 8.9 12.0 15.5 13.2 13.5

Communicationd

No problem 618,200 39.9 46.5 45.4 40.8 36.9 41.2 39.5

Problem being 

understood 76,700 5.0 11.2 7.7 4.8 3.3 7.4 4.0

Problem understanding others 168,400 10.9 *3.2 6.8 9.7 13.9 10.3 11.1

Both 685,800 44.3 39.1 40.1 44.8 45.9 41.1 45.5

a Persons may have more than one condition. Conditions are calculated separately and do not add to 100 percent.

b Includes Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

c Includes arteriosclerotic heart disease, cardiac dysrhythmias, cardiovascular disease, and congestive heart failure.

d Excludes less than 2 percent missing data.

e Responses of “highly impaired” and “severely impaired” were combined and classified as highly impaired.

* Relative standard error is equal to or greater than .3 and should not be assumed to be reliable.

Note: Categories may not add to totals because of rounding and, in the case of hearing, sight, and communication, nonresponse.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
13

Technical Appendix

Data Sources and Methods of

Estimation

The data in this report were obtained from a

nationally representative sample of nursing homes from

the Nursing Home Component (NHC) of the 1996

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). The

sampling frame was derived from the updated 1991

National Health Provider Inventory. The NHC was

primarily designed to provide unbiased national and

regional estimates for the population in nursing homes,

as well as estimates of these facilities and a range of their

characteristics.

The sample was selected using a two-stage stratified

probability design, with facility selection in the first

stage. The second stage of selection consisted of a

sample of residents as of January 1, 1996, and a rolling

sample of persons admitted during the year (Bethel,

Broene, and Sommers, 1998). Of the 1,123 eligible

nursing homes sampled in the NHC, 85 percent

responded. Estimates in this report are based on these

952 eligible responding facilities. To bring the sample

size in line with the original design of approximately 800

facilities by the end of Round 3, the facility sample was

subsampled at the end of Round 1. A total of 127

facilities were randomly deselected.

The MEPS NHC data analyzed here were collected

in person during the first of three rounds of data

collection. A computer-assisted personal interview

(CAPI) system was used for data collection. The Round

1 interview took place during the period March-June

1996. The entire three-round data collection effort took

place over a 1-1/2 year period, with the reference period

being January 1, 1996, to December 31, 1996 (Potter,

1998).

The facility questionnaire was designed to elicit

information on the complex structure of institutions that

provide residential care or treatment. Some nursing

homes or units exist within larger establishments. In such

cases, the entity that appeared on the sampling frame

might be the larger facility, the nursing home or unit

within the larger facility, or only one of several nursing

units within the larger facility. Therefore, the NHC’s

Round 1 facility questionnaire was designed to identify

the larger facility, each eligible nursing home or unit

within the larger establishment, and other nonhospital

residential parts. Because of this, the point of reference

for a specific question may be the sampled nursing home

or unit (hereafter referred to as “nursing home”), a larger

facility, another nonhospital residential part of a larger

facility, one or several nursing homes within a larger

facility, or a smaller subunit of the eligible nursing home

(Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1997).

Data on the sampled nursing homes were obtained

using a facility questionnaire administered through CAPI

to facility administrators or designated staff. Estimates

provided are preliminary and are subject to revision as

more information from other parts of the NHC becomes

available.

Data in data files released to the public have, in

some instances, been masked to preserve the

confidentiality of responding nursing homes. As a result,

estimates made using the public use version of the data

may differ slightly from the estimates presented in this

report.

Facility Eligibility

Only nursing homes were eligible for inclusion in

the MEPS NHC. To be included as a nursing home, a

facility must have at least three beds and meet one of the

following criteria:

• It must have a facility or distinct portion of a facility 

certified as a Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF).

• It must have a facility or distinct portion of a facility 

certified as a Medicaid nursing facility (NF).

• It must have a facility or distinct portion of a facility 

that is licensed as a nursing home by the State health

department or by some other State or Federal agency

and that provides onsite supervision by a registered 

nurse or licensed practical nurse 24 hours a day, 7

days a week (Bethel, Broene, and Sommers, 1998).

By this definition, all SNF- or NF-certified units of

licensed hospitals are eligible for the sample, as are all

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) long-term care

nursing units. In such cases, and in the case of retirement

communities with nursing facilities, only the long-term

care nursing units(s) of the facility were eligible for

inclusion in the sample. If a facility also contained a

long-term care unit that provided assistance only with
14

activities of daily living (e.g., a personal care unit) or

provided nursing care at a level below that required to be

classified as a nursing facility, that unit was excluded

from the sample (Potter, 1998). 

Current-Residents Sample

To allow a chance of selection for all persons in this

universe, two samples of persons were selected within

each cooperating sampled facility: (1) a cross-sectional

sample of persons who were residents on January 1,

1996 (referred to as current residents) and (2) a sample

of persons admitted to the nursing home at any time

during 1996, with no prior admissions to an eligible

nursing home during 1996 (referred to as first

admissions). This report is limited to data collected

during Round 1, so estimates are for current residents

only. For details on first-admissions sampling, refer to

Bethel, Broene, and Sommers (1998).

The interviewer in each sampled facility compiled a

list of current residents as of January 1, 1996. Within

each facility, a systematic random sample of four current

residents was drawn using the CAPI system. 

The overall response rate for the current-residents

sample was 84 percent (.85 facility response rate × .99

current response rate). To be considered a respondent, the

sampled resident had to have 75 percent of the baseline

health status items complete, and age, sex, and race had

to be reported. Forty-four eligible current residents did

not meet this requirement, and 17 sampled persons were

ineligible.

Definitions of Variables

Nursing Home Residents

Nursing home residents included only persons

residing in licensed parts of sampled nursing homes.

Residents of unlicensed parts of sampled facilities were

excluded.

Ownership

Respondents reported the ownership type that best

described their facility (or larger part of the facility, in

situations where the sampled nursing home was part of a

larger facility), as follows:

• For-profit (i.e., individual, partnership, or 

corporation).

• Private nonprofit (e.g., religious group, nonprofit 

corporation).

• One of four types of public ownership—city/county 

government, State government, VA, or other Federal 

agency.

Respondents also reported whether their facility was

part of a chain or group of nursing facilities operating

under common management. Three facilities whose

ownership type originally was reported as “other specify”

were recoded based on the 1996 American Hospital

Association Guide to Hospitals (American Hospital

Association, 1996).

Facility Type

This variable, constructed from data from the facility

questionnaire, defines the facility’s organizational

structure as one of three types:

• Hospital-based nursing home. This indicates that the 

sampled nursing home was part of a hospital or was 

a hospital-based Medicare SNF.

• Nursing home with independent living or personal 

care unit. This category includes continuing care 

retirement communities (CCRCs) and retirement 

centers that have independent living and/or personal 

care units, as well as nursing homes that contain 

personal care units. Non-hospital-based nursing 

homes with a separate unit in which personal care 

assistance is provided also are included.

• Nursing home with only nursing home beds. This 

category includes a small number of nursing homes 

(less than 1 percent) with an intermediate care unit

for the mentally retarded (ICF-MR).

The order of priority for coding facility type

followed the sequence listed above. Eleven facilities

initially classified as “other nursing home type” were

recoded to the latter two categories on further review.

Census Region

Sampled nursing homes or units were classified in

one of four regions–Northeast, Midwest, South, and

West–based on their geographic location according to the
15

MEPS NHC sampling frame. These regions are defined

by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Facility Location

A metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was defined as

including (1) at least one city with 50,000 or more

inhabitants or (2) a Census Bureau-defined urbanized

area of at least 50,000 inhabitants and a total

metropolitan population of at least 100,000 (75,000 in

New England) (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1996).

Insurance Enrollment

Main insurance enrollment was aggregated into four

mutually exclusive groups: Medicare only, Medicaid

only, both Medicare and Medicaid, and neither Medicare

nor Medicaid. Persons covered by Medicare, Medicaid,

or both may also have had other insurance coverage, such

as private insurance or veterans benefits. Persons with

neither Medicare nor Medicaid coverage included 1.3

percent of sampled persons with private coverage only, .7

percent of sampled persons with veterans benefits (some

of whom also had private insurance), and .4 percent of

sampled persons for whom no insurance coverage was

identified. These data reflect insurance coverage only.

The actual source of payment for nursing home stays will

not be available until the release of full-year nursing

home data for 1996.

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Respondents were asked to indicate whether the

sampled resident received assistance with personal care

activities commonly known as activities of daily living.

Six activities were included in the summary ADL

measure in Table 1: dressing, bathing, eating, transferring

from a bed or chair, mobility, and toileting. Of those

sampled, 32 persons (less than 1 percent of the total)

were comatose and initially had all ADLs classified as

“inapplicable.” These cases, along with all cases for

whom it was indicated that the “activity did not occur”

(less than 2 percent of the total), were reclassified as

“totally dependent.” Persons with missing data (not more

than .5 percent of the total sample of any ADL) were

assumed to have no difficulty with activities and were

reclassified as “no assistance received.” For Table 2,

persons functioning independently were classified as “no

assistance received” and persons who required

supervision or limited or extensive assistance were

classified as “assistance received.”

Marital Status

Facility respondents were asked if, on January 1,

1996, the sampled person was married, widowed,

divorced, separated, or never married.

Race

Respondents were asked if the race of each resident

was best described as American Indian, Alaska Native,

Asian or Pacific Islander, black, white, or other.

Estimates of race were collapsed into three categories:

white, black, and other. Less than .5 percent of residents

initially classified as “other” were reclassified as white.

The other race categories are not shown separately due to

small sample size.

Memory Problems

Respondents were asked two questions about the

sample resident’s memory: whether the resident had a

short-term memory problem and whether the resident

had a long-term memory problem. Responses were

limited to “yes” or “no.” Approximately 1.2 percent

missing data (not included in Table 4) existed for each

item. 

Orientation Difficulties

To assess orientation to time, place, and person,

respondents were asked whether the sample resident was

able to recall the current season, location of own room,

staff names/faces, or that he or she was in a nursing

home. The summary variable in Table 4 indicates the

number of items with which the resident had difficulty.

Missing data, which were not included in the table, did

not exceed 1.2 percent for any item.

Ability to Make Daily Decisions

Respondents reported the sample resident’s ability to

make daily decisions. Residents reported to be

independent were classified as “no impairment”; those

with modified independence and moderately impaired

were classified as “some impairment”; and those who

were severely impaired was classified as “severe
16

impairment.” Missing data (less than 1.2 percent) were

not included in Table 4.

Behavior Problems

Respondents were asked how often the sample

resident exhibited the following problems: verbally

abusive behavior, physically abusive behavior,

wandering, resistance to care, or disruptive behavior.

The summary variable indicates the presence of one or

more of these behaviors. No individual behavior

problem had more than 1.8 percent missing data.

Missing data were not included in Table 4. For both the

summary measures and measures of individual behavior

problems, responses indicating that the resident had a

problem “less than daily” and “daily or more frequently”

were both classified as having a behavior problem.

Communication

Respondents reported how well the sample resident

was able to understand others and whether he or she

could be understood by others. Positive responses for

“understood” and “usually understood” were classified

as no problem; “sometimes understood” and

“rarely/never understood” were classified as having a

problem. Understanding others was classified in a similar

manner. Responses for both variables were collapsed into

four mutually exclusive categories: no problem, problem

being understood, problem understanding others, or both.

Missing data (less than 1 percent across both variables)

were not included in Table 5.

Health Conditions

Conditions are active diagnoses that have a

relationship to current ADL status, cognitive status,

mood and behavior status, medical treatments, nurse

monitoring, or risk of death. The health conditions listed

in Table 5 were collected from the sample resident’s

Minimum Data Set (MDS). The MDS is a uniform

series of questions assessing the nursing home resident’s

physical and mental status and is required by law for

anyone entering a federally assisted nursing home. If a

valid MDS was not available, conditions were collected

from the resident’s medical record. Condition estimates

are preliminary and will change when full-year data are

edited. Data in this report do not include conditions

listed as “other specify,” nor do they include conditions

identified from other medical records if the resident had

a valid MDS. However, these data will be included in

the full-year file. 

Hearing and Vision

Respondents reported sample residents’ ability to

hear and see using four categories ranging from

adequate to severely impaired. “Minimal difficulty” was

classified as “impaired,” and “highly” and “severely”

impaired were combined and classified as “highly

impaired.” Missing data (less than 2 percent for both

items) were not included in Table 5.

Incontinence

Data on bladder and bowel control were collected

from the MDS and refer to continence in the last 14

days. Residents were classified as incontinent if the

response indicated that they were incontinent or

frequently incontinent. Residents reported to be

continent, usually continent, or occasionally incontinent

were classified as having no incontinence. Responses

for bladder and bowel control were collapsed into four

mutually exclusive categories: no incontinence, bladder

incontinence only, bowel incontinence only, and both

bladder and bowel incontinence. Of the sample, 32

persons (less than 1 percent of the total) were comatose

and initially classified as “inapplicable.” These cases

were reclassified as incontinent. Persons with missing

data (“don’t know”) were assumed to have no difficulty

with bowel and/or bladder control and were reclassified

as continent; these persons represented less than .5

percent of the total sample for any item. 

Reliability and Standard Error

Estimates

Since the statistics presented in this report are based

on a sample, they may differ somewhat from the figures

that would have been obtained if a complete census had

been taken. This potential difference between sample

results and a complete count is the sampling error of the

estimate.

The chance that an estimate from the sample would

differ from the value for a complete census by less than

one standard error is about 68 out of 100.
17

The chance that the difference between the sample

estimate and a complete census would be less than twice

the standard error is about 95 out of 100.

Tests of statistical significance were used to

determine whether differences between estimates exist at

specified levels of confidence or whether they simply

occurred by chance. Differences were tested using Zscores having asymptotic normal properties, based on the

rounded figures at the .05 level of significance.

Estimates for sample sizes of less than 50 do not

meet standards of reliability or precision and are not

reported. In addition, estimates with a relative standard

error greater than 30 percent are marked with an asterisk.

Such estimates cannot be assumed to be reliable.

Rounding

Estimates presented in the tables have been rounded

to the nearest .1 percent. Population estimates have been

rounded to the nearest hundred. The rounded estimates,

including those underlying the standard errors, will not

always add to 100 percent or the full total.

Standard Errors

The standard errors in this report are based on

estimates of standard errors derived using the Taylor

series linearization method to account for the complex

survey design. The standard error estimates were

computed using SUDAAN (Shah, Barnwell, and Bieler,

1995). The direct estimates of the standard errors for the

estimates in Tables 1-5 in the text are provided in Tables

A-E, respectively.

For example, the estimate for male nursing home

residents of 28.4 percent (Table 1) has an estimated

standard error of .8 percent (Table A). The estimate 

for white nursing home residents of 1,387,000 (Table 1)

has an estimated standard error of 15,089 residents

(Table A). 
18

Table A. Standard errors for the number and percent distribution of nursing

home residents by selected demographic characteristics, facility ownership, and

type of nursing home: United States, January 1, 1996 

(Corresponds to Table 1)

All nursing home residents Facility ownership Type of nursing home

With With

independent only

living or nursing

Resident For Hospital- personal home

characteristic Number Percent profit Nonprofit Government based unita bedsb

Number 11,829 — 24,163 21,983 13,848 9,394 17,076 20,746

Percent — — 1.5 1.4 .9 .6 1.1 1.20 

Percent distribution 

Sex

Male 13,172 .8 1.0 1.5 3.6 3.9 2.5 .9

Female 15,534 .8 1.0 1.5 3.6 3.9 2.5 .9

Age in years

Under 65 9,062 .6 .7 1.0 2.1 2.4 1.2 .7

65-74 9,080 .6 .7 .9 2.4 2.0 1.5 .7

75-84 12,518 .8 .9 1.6 2.8 3.2 2.2 .9

85 and over 15,953 .9 1.1 1.9 2.9 3.1 2.7 1.0

Race

White 15,089 .7 .9 1.4 2.3 2.7 1.5 .8

Black 9,997 .6 .8 1.3 1.8 2.2 1.4 .7

Other 5,581 .4 .5 .6 1.3 1.2 .7 .4

Marital statusc

Married 10,108 .6 .8 1.1 2.4 2.6 2.0 .7

Widowed 16,042 .9 1.1 1.8 3.0 3.4 2.6 1.0

Divorced or 

separated 8,278 .5 .7 .9 1.9 1.7 1.4 .6

Never married 10,070 .6 .8 1.4 2.0 2.9 1.5 .7

Census region

Northeast 21,802 1.4 1.6 3.1 5.0 5.0 3.7 1.6

Midwest 20,257 1.3 1.6 3.2 5.1 5.1 4.6 1.5

South 23,983 1.5 1.9 2.7 4.7 5.7 4.5 1.7

West 16,477 1.1 1.4 1.9 3.5 5.1 2.4 1.2

Metropolitan 

statistical area 

(MSA)

MSA 25,712 1.5 1.9 3.0 5.3 6.1 4.5 1.7

Not MSA 24,015 1.5 1.9 3.0 5.3 6.1 4.5 1.7

Continued
19

Table A. Standard errors for the number and percent distribution of nursing

home residents by selected demographic characteristics, facility ownership, and

type of nursing home: United States, January 1, 1996 (continued)

(Corresponds to Table 1)

All nursing home residents Facility ownership Type of nursing home

With With

independent only

living or nursing

Resident For Hospital- personal home

characteristic Number Percent profit Nonprofit Government based unita bedsb

Insurance 

enrollmentc

Medicare onlyd 15,375 1.0 1.2 2.1 3.2 4.0 3.1 1.0

Medicaid onlye 6,619 .4 .5 .6 1.3 1.6 .9 .5

Medicare and Medicaidf 17,547 1.0 1.2 2.1 3.6 4.0 3.1 1.1 

Neither Medicare nor 

Medicaidg 4,732 .3 .4 .4 1.8 2.7 .8 .3

Number of ADLs in 

which assistance

receivedh

0 4,774 .3 .4 .5 1.5 1.7 1.0 .3

1-2 9,942 .6 .8 1.2 2.0 1.8 1.8 .7

3 or more 14,924 .7 .9 1.3 2.5 2.5 2.0 .8 

a Includes continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and retirement centers that have independent living and/or personal care units,

as well as nursing homes that contain or are affiliated with personal care units.

b Includes a small number of nursing homes (less than 1 percent of this category) with an intermediate care facility for the mentally

retarded.

c Excludes less than 2 percent missing data.

d Includes less than 1.5 percent of residents with other public coverage, such as veterans benefits; excludes persons with Medicaid. e Includes less than 1 percent of residents with other public coverage, such as veterans benefits, or some form of private coverage; excludes

persons with Medicare.

f Includes less than 2 percent of residents with other public coverage such as veterans benefits.

g Includes less than 1.5 percent of residents with private coverage only and less than 1 percent of residents with public coverage (such as

veterans benefits) with or without private coverage.

h ADLs (activities of daily living) include bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, mobility, and toileting. 

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
20

Table B. Standard errors for the number and percent distribution of nursing

home residents by level of dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs), age,

and sex: United States, January 1, 1996 

(Corresponds to Table 2)

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex 

Level and type of Under 85 and

dependence Number Percent 65 65-74 75-84 over Men Women

Number 11,829 — 9,062 9,080 12,518 15,953 13,712 15,534

Percent — — .6 .6 .8 .9 .8 .8 

Number of ADLs 

in which assistance Percent distribution

receiveda

0 4,774 .3 1.7 1.2 .4 .3 .8 .3

1-2 9,942 .6 2.1 1.9 1.0 .9 1.1 .7

3 or more 14,924 .7 2.6 2.2 1.1 .9 1.3 .8

Type of ADL

Dressing:

No assistance 

received 9,507 .6 2.5 1.9 .9 10.4 1.2 .7

Assistance received 16,000 .9 2.9 2.5 1.5 1.3 1.7 1.1

Totally dependent 14,819 .9 2.9 2.2 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.1

Bathing:

No assistance 

received 5,331 .3 1.8 1.4 .5 .4 .9 .3

Assistance received 15,879 1.0 2.9 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.1

Totally dependent 16,122 1.0 3.0 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.1

Eating:

No assistance 

received 15,647 1.0 3.0 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1

Assistance received 15,788 1.0 2.7 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1

Totally dependent 11,231 .7 2.5 1.8 1.2 .9 1.2 .8

Transferring:

No assistance 

received 12,522 .8 3.0 2.4 1.4 1.1 1.6 .9

Assistance received 15,433 .9 2.8 2.4 1.5 1.2 1.7 1.0

Totally dependent 12,878 .8 2.9 2.0 1.4 1.1 1.4 .9

Mobility:

No assistance 

received 14,089 .9 3.1 2.5 1.5 1.1 1.6 1.0

Assistance received 15,217 .9 2.3 2.3 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.1

Totally dependent 13,263 .8 2.8 2.0 1.5 1.1 1.4 .9

Toileting:

No assistance 

received 11,658 .7 2.9 2.3 1.2 1.0 1.4 .8

Assistance received 14,562 .9 2.7 2.4 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.0

Totally dependent 14,440 .9 3.0 3.4 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.0 

a Assistance includes supervision, limited assistance, and extensive assistance.

Note: ADLs include bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, mobility, and toileting. Categories may not add to totals due to rounding. Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
21

Table C. Standard errors for the number and percent distribution of nursing

home residents by type of incontinence, age, and sex: United States,

January 1, 1996 

(Corresponds to Table 3)

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex

Type of Under

incontinence Number Percent 65 65-74 75-84 85 and over Men Women

Number 11,829 — 9,062 9,080 12,518 15,953 13,712 15,534

Percent — — .6 .6 .8 .9 .8 .8 

Type of Percent distribution 

incontinence

None 14,863 .9 3.0 2.4 1.6 1.2 1.6 1.0

Bladder only 9,025 .6 1.4 1.5 1.0 .8 1.0 .7

Bowel only 6,370 .4 1.4 1.2 .7 .5 .8 .4

Bowel and bladder 14,545 .9 2.8 2.3 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.0

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
22

Table D. Standard errors for the number and percent distribution of nursing

home residents by selected memory and behavior characteristics, age, and

sex: United States, January 1, 1996 

(Corresponds to Table 4)

All nursing home 

residents Age in years Sex

Memory or behavior 

characteristic Number Percent Under 65 65-74 75-84 85 and over Men Women

Number 11,970 — 8,987 9,059 12,583 15,824 13,549 15,425

Percent — — .6 .6 .8 .9 .8 .8 

Memory problemsa Percent distribution 

No problem 12,907 .8 3.1 2.5 1.4 1.0 1.6 .9

Memory loss:

Short-term 10,784 .7 1.5 1.8 1.1 1.0 1.1 .8

Long-term 4,089 .3 1.0 .9 .5 .3 .6 .3

Long- and short-term 15,973 .9 3.0 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1

Orientation 

difficultiesa,b

No problem 13,519 .8 2.3 2.0 1.5 1.2 1.4 1.0

Problem in:

1 area 9,222 .6 1.7 1.5 1.0 .9 1.1 .7

2 areas 7,963 .5 1.8 1.5 .8 .8 .9 .6

3 or more areas 15,423 .9 2.8 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1

Ability to make daily 

decisionsa

Not impaired 11,363 .7 2.8 2.2 1.2 .9 1.3 .8

Impaired 15,607 .9 2.9 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1

Severely impaired 12,852 .8 2.6 2.0 1.4 1.1 1.4 1.0

Behavior problemsa

No problem 15,319 .8 2.9 2.3 1.5 1.1 1.6 1.0

Any problem 13,237 .8 2.9 2.3 1.5 1.1 1.6 1.0

Type of behavior Percentc

problema

Verbally abusive 8,828 .6 2.2 1.4 1.0 .8 1.2 .6

Physically abusive 7,712 .5 2.0 1.3 .8 .7 1.0 .6

Socially inappropriate 9,804 .6 2.5 1.7 1.1 .9 1.2 .7 

Resistant to care 9,514 .6 1.9 1.5 1.1 .9 1.3 .7

Wandering behavior 8,208 .5 1.7 1.4 1.1 .7 1.0 .6 

a Excludes less than 2 percent missing data.

b Areas of orientation include time, place, and person.

c Persons may have more than one type of behavior problem. Problems are calculated individually and do not add to 100 percent.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
23

Table E. Standard errors for the number and percent of nursing home

residents by the 10 most frequently occurring health conditions among

nursing home residents, sex, and age: United States, January 1, 1996

(Corresponds to Table 5)

All nursing home residents Age in years Sex

Health conditions and Under 85 and

characteristics Number Percent 65 65-74 75-84 over Men Women

Number 11,970 — 8,987 9,059 12,583 15,824 13,549 15,425

Percent — — .6 .6 .8 .9 .8 .8 

10 most frequently 

occurring Percent with condition

conditionsa

Dementiab 15,841 .9 2.3 2.4 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.0

Heart diseasec 15,250 .9 2.1 2.4 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.1

Hypertension 13,605 .8 2.5 2.4 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.0

Arthritis 12,878 .8 1.2 1.8 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.0

Cerebrovascular accident 11,147 .7 2.2 2.2 1.3 .9 1.4 .8

Depression 11,119 .7 2.1 2.0 1.4 1.0 1.2 .8

Diabetes mellitus 10,047 .6 2.1 2.2 1.2 .8 1.2 .8

Anemia 10,555 .7 2.2 1.6 1.1 1.0 1.2 .8

Allergies 12,289 .8 2.2 1.9 1.3 1.0 1.1 .9

Chronic obstructive 

pulmonary disease 8,978 .6 1.4 2.0 1.1 .7 1.3 .6

Percent distribution

Hearingd

Adequate 16,647 .9 1.9 1.9 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.1

Impaired 12,432 .8 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.1 1.3 .9

Highly impairede 9,320 .6 1.2 1.1 .8 1.0 1.2 .7

Sightd

Adequate 15,727 1.0 2.8 2.5 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.1

Impaired 13,298 .8 2.4 2.3 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.0

Highly impairede 9,581 .6 1.9 1.4 1.0 .9 1.1 .7

Communicationd

No problem 15,186 .9 2.9 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.1

Problem being 

understood 6,045 .4 1.8 1.3 .7 .4 .9 .4

Problem understanding 

others 8,570 .5 1.0 1.2 .9 .9 1.0 .7

Both 16,789 1.0 3.0 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.6 1.2 

a Persons may have more than one condition. Conditions are calculated separately and do not add to 100 percent.

b Includes Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

c Includes arteriosclerotic heart disease, cardiac dysrhythmias, cardiovascular disease, and congestive heart failure.

d Excludes less than 2 percent missing data.

e Responses of “highly impaired” and “severely impaired” were combined and classified as highly impaired.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).
24

Table F. Standard errors for percent of the most frequently occurring health

conditions for nursing home residents under age 65 and age 65 and over:

United States, January 1, 1996 

(Corresponds to Figure 1)

Age in years

Condition Under 65 65 and over

Dementia 2.3 .9

Heart disease 2.1 1.0

Hypertension 2.5 .9

Arthritis 1.2 .9

Stroke 2.2 .7

Seizures 2.5 .4

Diabetes 2.1 .7

Note: The most frequently occurring conditions for nursing home residents under age 65 are seizures, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and

dementia. The most frequently occurring conditions for residents age 65 and over are dementia, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, and

stroke.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component, 1996 (Round 1).

Table G. Standard errors for percent distribution of nursing home residents

by presence of the most frequently occurring conditions for nursing home

residents, by age: United States, January 1, 1996 

(Corresponds to Figure 2)

Age in years

Most frequently occurring conditions Under 65 65 and over

1 2.6 .8

More than 1 2.6 .9

None 2.7 .6

Note: The most frequently occurring conditions for nursing home residents under age 65 are seizures, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and

dementia. The most frequently occurring conditions for residents age 65 and over are dementia, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, and

stroke.

Source: Center for Cost and Financing Studies, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Nursing

Home Component,1996 (Round 1).


































































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AHCPR Pub. No. 99-0006

December 1998

U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services

Public Health Service

Agency for Health Care Policy

and Research

2101 East Jefferson Street

Suite 501

Rockville, MD 20852